Leonia's Alan Alda reveals on 'CBS This Morning' he has Parkinson's disease

Actor Alan Alda, author of 'If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?,' recalls the harrowing emergency operation he had in Chile, and the doctor who knew just what was wrong and what to say.
USA TODAY

Actor and Leonia resident Alan Alda speaks on his new book, "If I understood you, would I have this look on my face?" during the annual premier speaker event at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades in Tenafly, NJ on Sunday, April 15, 2018.(Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran/Northjersey.com)

During an appearance Tuesday on "CBS This Morning," Leonia resident Alan Alda said he has Parkinson's disease and was diagnosed about three and a half years ago.

Alda, 82, is well-known for his role in "M*A*S*H," where he played Army Capt. "Hawkeye" Pierce, chief surgeon at an Army surgical hospital during the Korean War. Alda was not only a member of the cast, he directed or wrote almost 40 episodes of the hit show.

During an event at the Kaplen Jewish Community Center in Tenafly in April, where Alda was interviewed by Bill Ervolino, a columnist with NorthJersey.com and The Record, his hands could be seen shaking.

Parkinson's is a nervous system disorder that affects movement and sometimes causes tremors. Other celebrities with Parkinson's include actor Michael J. Fox, who was diagnosed at age 29, and singer Neil Diamond, who shared his diagnosis earlier this year.

"The reason I want to talk about it in public is that I was diagnosed three and a half years ago and I've had a full life since then," he said. "I've acted, I've given talks, I help at the Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook, I started this new podcast."

During his reveal, Alda said saw his thumb twitching in recent interviews and that spurred him to come forward with his diagnosis.

"I thought, it's probably only a matter of time before somebody does a story about this from a sad turn point of view, but that's not where I am."

Alda began "acting out" his dreams, which is an early sign of Parkinson's, even throwing a pillow at his wife after he was dreaming that someone attacked him and he threw a bag of potatoes at them. He spoke with his doctor and asked for scans after it happened.

"I said, 'I want to know if there's anything I can do, I want to do it before things start to show up,' " he said.

The actor said the early stages of diagnosis shouldn't immobilize people with fear.

"This is not to shortchange people who are suffering with really severe symptoms," he said. "But in the very beginning, to be immobilized by fear and think the worst thing has happened to you, it hasn't happened to you, you still have things you can do."

Alda has had several other memorable roles, such as the shady penthouse tenant wanted for a Ponzi scheme in "Tower Heist" and Republican senator Arnold Vinick on "The West Wing." He has won several Emmys and Golden Globes and was awarded honorary doctorates from St. Peter's University and Drew University in New Jersey, among other universities.